TSC01 The Year That Was
by Jonn Wolfe
Summary: Prequel to 'Carpe Tempus' and 'From the Ashes', their story continues right after the Doctor leaves them on Bad Wolf Bay. Will eventually lead straight into Carpe Tempus. How do you deal with a timey-wimey copy of the love of your life?
1. 36 Hours of Hell, Part I

**THE YEAR THAT WAS**_  
__Chapter One  
36 Hours of Hell, Part One_

* * *

**_A/N:_**___ This is the year that the Clone Doctor and Rose spent in Pete's World, before getting nabbed by the Dimensional Snap. Prequel to 'Carpe Tempus' and 'From the Ashes', their story continues right after the Doctor leaves them on Bad Wolf Bay. Will eventually lead straight into 'Carpe Tempus'. How do you deal with a timey-wimey copy of the love of your life?  
_

_Allons-y!_

* * *

_Restless Goddess: L-O-V-E this idea! Then again, Jonn's stuff is always brilliant; I'm just here to play grammar police. :__D_

* * *

_JW: She does more than that, but wont admit it. Details are everything, and she puts little things in that make stories really pop out._

* * *

There was nothing but the sound of the ocean and the feel of a familiar hand gripping hers tightly. The glorious noise of the TARDIS engines had faded a few minutes ago. During that time, she only spared a quick look at the double next to her, then stared at the square indentation in the sand. She couldn't move, she couldn't think, and had completely forgotten how to breathe.

Behind them, Jackie watched the pair with trepidation. Even though she was beyond thrilled that Rose was still there, her heart lurched over what Rose was going through. Glancing at the Doctor, she noticed that he stood stock still while holding Rose's hand. The look on his face was pensive and full of worry, and she couldn't blame him in the slightest.

The very slight quiver of her head told both Jackie and the Doctor that something was about to happen. When it did, both of them felt their hearts constrict in their chests at the sound of it.

The shock of being left on the beach again finally broke her apart, and Rose wailed a gut wrenching, "Nooooo!" Before she realized it, she was spun into a hug as she started sobbing. Strong arms were around her and she felt a hand in her hair, holding her head against a tee shirt and a light blazer. Soon, she felt softer arms coming round from behind her.

Cradled on both sides, Rose finally let herself break down. Years of pain and loneliness poured out of her. Her Doctor was gone. "He _left_ me!" she choked out.

Jackie looked up to see an equally anguished expression on the Doctor's face. They locked eyes for a brief moment, and she saw utter heartbreak. "He's still here swee'hear'," she soothed.

The words didn't make any sense to her, but Rose finally realized whose shirt she was currently drenching and froze completely. Emotions locked up with shock, she shoved the man away from her. "You're not him!" she shouted. "You're a _copy_ not worthy of the name of Doctor!" Driving the knife of hatred deeper, she made a great show of wiping her mouth on the sleeve of her jacket.

Not knowing what to think, Jackie held on to her tightly from behind. Her normal ability to shout through anything failed her when she saw the look of horror on the Doctor's face.

"Rose, it's me. Honestly, it's me," he said, stepping forward again. "From the moment I took your hand and said 'run', you burned the very air in my lungs. You were all I could ever think about. I _swear_…" his defensive babble was cut short when Rose one-upped her mother's ability to slap.

Breaking out of her mother's hold on her, Rose got in his face, growling. "You're. Not. HIM!"

Hands over her mouth, Jackie finally realized what had happened. She knew of course that this man was some sort of human duplicate, made from some kind of alien thingamajig that she had no hope of understanding. But he was still the Doctor...wasn't he? Jackie nearly shrieked when the Doctor moved faster than anything she ever saw before.

It was automatic. Fuelled by terror, this Doctor took two steps forward and grabbed Rose's temples. Surprisingly, and he would wonder about that for a while later, there were no walls or barriers. He simply slipped into Rose's mind so fast that he didn't realize what he'd done.

Not having time to gasp or even hold up her hands in defence, Rose eyes rolled back in shock as an Everest sized mountain of love poured into her. It was overwhelming, shattering her pain and sense of loss so completely that she honestly didn't know what to think. It was glorious, gorgeous, and a slew of other positive adjectives that she couldn't think of at that moment.

Watching all of this, Jackie had no clue what was happening until she remembered Rose telling her about Madam de Pompadour. _Is he in her mind? Is he changing it? He couldn't hurt her, could he?_ Those thoughts evaporated when she saw the Doctor's eyes pop open in shock.

Looking at where he was and where his hands were, he was completely mortified. Pulling away, the Doctor actually stuttered. "Rose, I-I-I I'm sorry."

The connection broken, Rose wobbled slightly. Staring at him, she could still see a faint image of some sort of classroom with odd writing on something resembling a blackboard. Blinking rapidly, she tried to grasp at the remaining strands of such intense love, aching when she could no longer feel it consuming her mind. It was so intimate that she was reeling from the experience. "You," she started, before swallowing and trying again. "You're… _still_ you?"

A faint look of hope went over his face, and his voice was shaken when he nodded. "I'm still me, Rose. I promise."

Stepping forward, Rose put her hand over the centre of his chest again. The steady beat of his singular heart was quite rapid, but she felt something else too: that slight buzz she'd always feel whenever they held hands or hugged was there, under her fingertips. Not knowing what else to do, she went into his arms and quietly cried.

Wiping her eyes, Jackie squared herself. They were still stuck on that beach after all, and things needed to be done. Pulling her mobile out of her jacket, she thumbed the speed dial for Pete. It rang only once before it was picked up. Hearing a rather panicked Pete yelling 'Jacks?', she smiled. "Hello swee'hear'. Guess where we are? Bloody back-of-beyond Norway again."

Listening to what Pete was saying, she looked over to Rose and the Doctor in shock. "We were gone for over a week?" she said rather loudly. "It was only a few hours!"

The Doctor let up on the hug just enough for Rose to look over at her. "Time's faster over here, remember? Let me talk to him." Instead of letting go of the Doctor, she simply held her hand out for the phone. Honestly though, she couldn't let go if she tried. Somehow, her hand had locked up around a fist full of jacket.

While her emotions were on a roller coaster from hell, she took her mum's mobile and immediately switched into her professional mode. "Dad? Yeah, still here. No, he's here too… sort of. Listen, can you call Torchwood Forty Eight in Trondheim? Yeah, we need a lift home. Since when do they have a Zeppelin?" Blinking at that, she handed the phone back over and looked up into the other Doctor's eyes. "They're sending a high speed Zeppelin to get us."

"High speed? That sounds rather ominous," the Doctor said.

Nodding, Jackie agreed completely. "I hate them. They go too fast for something that big. Not natural at all, that. Makes me think we're gonna explode or somethin'"

"They're not _that_ bad," Rose complained. "But you're right. Not too fond of them being able to get close to the sound barrier."

His eyebrows up, a bit of a grin crossed the Doctor's face. "Oh, now I _have_ to see this."

* * *

It wasn't ten minutes later when the dirigible arrived. A Torchwood logo emblazoned both sides of it, and it was only half the size of the others he'd seen. When they clambered in, the Doctor noticed that there were only two people aboard, piloting the thing.

Looking out the window at the water going past, the Doctor blurted "Brixton" rather abruptly.

Rose turned her head at him quizzically, unsure that she heard that right. "Pardon?"

Shaking his head slightly, the Doctor shrugged. "Sorry. Dunno why I said that." Looking over at her, he grinned. "Interesting name though, Brixton. Flows rather nicely out of the mouth. Odd place to have a riot though. Then again, people tend to get all funny when those in charge wont help them. Lack of attention on the poverty level had them lashing out at 'the man', so I guess it's understandable."

Grinning, Rose was rather pleased that this Doctor babbled odd tangents of history or other interesting things that caught his attention. That thought made her frown though. She understood that he loved her now, but that still didn't solve all the hurt she was feeling over being left behind.

Seeing the look in her eyes, the Doctor slid his arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry."

Confused, Rose just looked at him. "What for?"

"You didn't get what you wanted," he said quietly.

She looked down at his red plimsolls and wiped her face. "It's all right. Not like it's your fault or anything. Just don't expect things. Of anyone, you should know that people _need__ time_ to process life changing events."

"I'll wait however long you need," he said quietly. "I'll do anything to make sure you're happy. Just let me know what that is, and I'll do it without thinking twice about it."

Giving him a dubious look, she had to test that out. "Stand up." Her eyes widened slightly at how fast he got out of the seat. "Turn 'round," she said, wondering how far she could go with this. When he faced the cabin wall, she grinned at the sight of his bum. "Okay, you can sit."

Grinning, the Doctor sat down. "I can roll over and play dead too, if you want."

The look on her face was priceless. Trying not to and failing, Rose snorted once before she finally burst out laughing, causing her head to to fall back.

"You're mad, the pair of you," Jackie said from the other side of the cabin with a huge smile on her face. Honestly, though, she was tickled pink over hearing her daughter laugh again. Sure, she'd done so before, but this one was _real_ and it made her own mood soar. The hope that things would get better caught root, and she actually prayed that it was true. _Please God, let this work. I can't stand seeing her in pain. Not again. Never so horribly again._


	2. 36 Hours of Hell, Part II

**THE YEAR THAT WAS**_  
__Chapter Two  
36 Hours of Hell, Part Two_

* * *

**_A/N:_**___ Hmmm... not much to say here._

_Allons-y!_

* * *

_Restless Goddess: Hmmm...I can't think of much to say here either._

* * *

Looking out the window again, the Doctor was confused when he saw the English countryside. "I'm going to have to get a watch," he commented.

At the mini-fridge in the back, Rose barely heard that. Coming back to the front, she handed a ginger ale to her mum, and a Nozzie cola to the Doctor. "What was that about a watch?" she asked him. When he turned his head to look at her, his expression was a mixture of shock and mortification.

Swallowing, he absently took the can of soda and popped it open without thinking about it. "I," he started, then took a swig of the drink with a frown on his face. "I'm… I don't know how people cope. Rose, I'm time blind."

Concern washed over her, and she sat across from him. Leaning over, she took his hand. "You mean you can't tell how long things go any more?"

The Doctor shook his head first, then nodded. "Sort of. I mean, I can count the seconds out and keep track that way. It's just that all the threads of time… I… I just can't see them any more. I look down at all the houses, and buildings, and whatnot, and there should be some sort of web of lines that intersect with people all over the place. Don't usually depend on it anyway, but it's like I've lost the ability to see, _sayyyy_ the colour red for a lack of a better description." He shook his head, then drained the can. "Damn, that's foul," he complained. "Don't suppose there's any tea around, is there?"

"That was the first thing I discovered." She shook her head sadly. "The only tea here is green or black from the Far East."

Gaping at her, the Doctor was appalled. "Oh, now that's just wrong!"

"What is?" Jackie asked, looking up from a magazine.

Turning his head to look over his shoulder at her, he was beside himself. "Jackie? There's no tea here?"

"Oh, I know," she said full of sympathy. "One thing I always want in the morning is a cuppa. Should'a raided the Tesco while we were over there, but was a bit busy."

Looking back at Rose, he was trying to come to grips with this disaster. "No tea?"

She shook her head. "Sorry, no. Coffee?"

The Doctor sat back in his seat and stared at the ceiling. "No tea," he lamented. "Nerise'd be bovvered."

"Pardon?" Rose was starting to get worried. That was twice now he'd said something strange and completely out of context.

The Doctor shook his head. "Nothing. S'nothing." Wincing, he put a hand to his forehead and squeezed. "_Blimey_, my head is killing me."

"Aspirin?" Jackie said, overhearing that part.

Both of them looked at her in with shocked expressions. "No!" they said at the same time.

Blinking at their shout, Jackie winced when she realized. "Sorry. Forgot." Rummaging in her coat pockets, she fished a small bottle out. "Cetmephin?"

"Let me see," the Doctor said. Catching the bottle, he read the the active and inactive ingredients. Popping the top, he flicked a single pill into his hand, then snapped it in half. Licking the broken end, he nodded. "Acetaminophen? Yeah, this'll work. Thanks." He took three of them dry, then tossed the bottle back and sat back down. Looking out again, his eyebrows shot up. "No way. We're already in London?"

"Told you they were fast," Rose said.

"Could get a small fortune selling these back home," he said, then winced again.

Staring at him, Rose was on high alert. "Okay, that was a West London accent. What's wrong?"

"I don't know," he said, blinking rapidly. "Maybe I'm tired or something. Been a busy day."

Standing up, Rose patted his shoulder, then moved through the partition to the pilot's cabin. "You're taking us home, right?" she asked them.

The lady co-pilot turned her head and nodded. "That's what the director wanted. We'll be at the Tyler Mansion in less than five minutes."

Nodding, Rose said "Thank you," and pulled out her mobile. Thumbing a button, she held it up to her ear. "Yeah, dad, we're almost there. Do me a favour and send the staff home for the day, would you please?" There was a pause, and she left the pilot's cabin. "No, it's just that there are things that they don't need to worry about." Nodding to herself, she smiled with a wince at the Doctor, from his questioning look. "Thanks. See you in a bit."

* * *

When they landed on the pad in the far back of the mansion, Rose noticed that the staff's vehicles were in the process of leaving. Relief washing over her at that, and she thanked the pilots while Jackie took the Doctor inside.

Halfway to the back door, Jackie looked over at the Doctor and fretted over his colour. "You all right, love? Look a bit peaked, there."

"Oh fine. I'm fine," the Doctor said, waving a hand dismissively. "Just need to have a sit down. The ground's too still. Haven't got my land legs yet."

A pensive frown on her face, Jackie shook her head. "Look like you're about to _fall_ down, you are. I'll put the kettle on for some green tea. 'S not as good as Darjeeling, but it does pretty good in a pinch."

He gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks."

They were interrupted by Pete, who just ran up to them and immediately snatched Jackie up in a hug. "Seven days!" he shouted. "Seven long and gruesome days. Please don't do that again, love."

Grinning at the display, the Doctor was chuckling. "Hey there, Pete. Good to see you." He was quite pleased that they were getting on so well.

"Oi, put me down you lump," Jackie said with a smile. "C'mon, tell you all about it over a cuppa, yeah?"

The Doctor felt a hand close around his, and he turned his head to see Rose standing there with a pensive look on her face. "Wha's the matta'?"

"Something's wrong with you," she said, noting the West London accent again. "Let's get you inside."

They were three steps in the mansion, when the Doctor stopped abruptly with a wobble. Opening his mouth, a small exhale of golden particles escaped. "I don't feel right," he commented.

Seeing the small light show, it clicked in Rose's head as to what was going on. "Regeneration sickness. Right. You. On the couch. Now."

"Yes ma'am," the Doctor said with a half hearted smile. Rose steadied him, then helped him sit.

Turning to Jackie, Rose had more orders flying out. "Mum, get the black tea ready. It's stronger and might actually have tannins in it. This is like what happened that Christmas when he was sick the last time."

Pulling away from Pete, Jackie said a rather simple, "Oh dear," and headed for the kitchen.

Elbows on his knees, the Doctor had his palms over his eyes. "Oh my head." Grunting a bit, he looked up suddenly with a shout. "Faster!" Head down again, he had fists full of his hair and pulling slightly. "No, stop it."

Rose knelt in front of him. "What's happening to you? Talk to me."

"Something's wrong," he whispered, before standing straight up with a wild look on his face. "Let's open up those engines!" His expression and stance changed to a silly and amused look. "Oh no she didn't. I'll tell you what that was."

Backing up from him, Rose stood and tried to get him to calm down. "Doctor, stop. We're not on the TARDIS. Mum's bringing tea, and…"

"And you!" he shouted, pointing past her. "Fat lot of good you were. You gave up on me. Oh that's rude. Is that what I," his stance changed again, "I know! It was flippin' hysterical!"

Jackie and Pete came in, hearing the rather loud shouts. "What's all the noise?" Jackie asked. "He having a fit or something?"

"This is what happened last time, before we nearly crashed," Rose said.

The Doctor looked Rose in the eyes and held her arm. "Help me," he whispered, then he was off again. "Crash land! HaHaHa! Nerise was going on about… Hawt Dawg! No she didn't! Let's RIP through that vortex! I'll tell you what she did… I can't stop myself… Yes She Did! Oh my head… FASTER!"

"He's lost it," Pete muttered.

Rose shook her head. "'S like he's reliving something. I know half of that, but the other's just weird. His accent is flippin' all over the place."

Tilting her head, Jackie set the oriental tea tray on the table. "Sounds like half of a phone conversation." She was startled when the Doctor looked at her and nodded with a huge grimace on his face.

Then the Doctor stunned them all when a rather feminine voice came out of his mouth. "Oi, watch it Space Man!" Then his voice was normal again. "Oi, watch it Earth Girl! Ooh. No… No, stop it!" He started smacking the top of his head, angrily.

"That was Donna," Rose said, realizing. "She touched the hand, and…" she trailed off, when she heard a voice she never thought to hear again.

His arms up like he was holding a rifle of some sort, the Doctor shouted. "Rose, get outta the way!"

Jackie's mouth dropped open. "That sounded like big ears!"

"Oh let him have his fun, mum," his voice was Donna's again. "Honestly, you'd think he was conspiring against you or something. You wouldn't do that, would you gramps?"

"Wrong, so wrong," Rose said quietly, thoroughly disturbed now. Looking to her mother, she saw the tea tray. "Is it done yet?"

"Needs to steep some more," Jackie answered with a shake of the head.

The Doctor looked to be swaggering, and he pointed to his left. "I've waited a long time to say this. Jackie Tyler, do as I say. Go and check the doors!"

Both hands over her mouth, Rose couldn't believe what she heard. _He's in there! He's really in there!_ she thought, with a bit of hope.

"When did tha' 'appen?" Jackie asked. "Don' remember that at all."

"I broke time," Rose said quietly. "Fixed it, but you don't remember because it didn't happen that way for you. Got to hold dad's hand when he died." Pete snapped his head over to her when she said that, quite shocked.

Things went from bad to worse, as the Doctor's verbal rant continued. Every now and then, he'd whisper out a plea for help. But, the further it went, the fewer times that happened.

However, after about an hour and a half of him flipping between different Doctor voices, as well as Donna's, a new voice came out sounding more than anguished. "Aaaadriiiiic!"

Rose was almost nodding off when he bellowed. She saw the look on his face and almost cried herself when he fell to his knees.

"No! No no no no no. Too many deaths. Too many deaths. Why can't I _save_ everyone? He was marvellous! I HATE THE DALEKS! Rose, get outta the way! Everybody lives!"

So many different voices, but all of them were the Doctor's at one point, save for Donna's. Rose was tearing up now, as she realized that he was never coming back. Before she could get onto a good cry though, the next thing nearly made her heart stop.

The Doctor had his hands in his hair again, pulling, while he stood up. "Tea's in my coat pocket, Rose," he said with some clarity, before wincing again in obvious pain. "STOP IT!" he shouted to the ceiling. "JUST STOP IT!"

And with that, he collapsed in a dead faint.


	3. 36 Hours of Hell, Part III

**THE YEAR THAT WAS**_  
__Chapter Three  
36 Hours of Hell, Part Three_

* * *

**_A/N:_**___ I wasn't too sure about this, but RG seemed to like it. Things'll get emotionally awkward rather soon, though._

* * *

_Restless Goddess: With as few spoilers as possible, lemme just say the phrase "rubber ducky, you're the one" has a whoooooole new meaning for me, and __not ____a bad one__. xD_

* * *

Rose had shot up from her chair on the far side of the room before the Doctor was halfway to the ground. Over him in an instant, she pressed her palm against his forehead and slipped her fingers over his wrist to check his pulse. "He's burning up," she commented. Her shock flipped to guilt from hitting him before, and her face cracked. "No. No, no, no, no. I'm sorry! I didn't _mean_ it!" Guilt turned to panic. "Don't you _dare _leave me! Not again! Not like this!_"_

Pete and Jackie were on either side of them now. Jackie was going to put her hand on her shoulder, but Rose moved too quickly, pulling the Doctor's head up into an awkward hug and peppering the side of his face with frantic, desperate kisses. Pete simply rested a hand on her back. "Let's get him to bed, love."

Reluctantly letting go of him, Rose got his legs while Pete took a hold of his shoulders. Getting him up the stairs was problematic, but they managed it without dropping him. Coming into one of the spare bedrooms, they had him on the bed just when Jackie came in.

"I got him some of your pyjamas that you don't wear any more, Pete," Jackie said, coming to the side of the bed. "Is that all right? Thought he'd like the blue."

She got a nod out of him, but he seemed to be focused on the bed as Rose was trying to wrestle the Doctor out of his jacket. "Here, let me help you with that."

Her head snapped up to look at them, realizing they were still in the room. Rose looked almost feral with her eyes frantic and blazing, and she pointed at the door. "Out!"

Actually flinching from the ferocity, Pete was pulled out of the room. "Let her be. She's done this before, and was just as pushy." Jackie closed the door behind them. "I don't claim to know what goes on half the time, but I know my own daughter."

Pete looked at her with a half frown. "Reminds me of your mother on occasion."

Snorting softly, Jackie stole a quick kiss. "Oh stop it."

"Why did she apologize to him? When he fell out, I mean," he asked while they were going down the stairs.

Nodding, Jackie had a knowing look on her face. "She slapped him for not being her Doctor."

Eyebrows up, Pete shook his head. "Definitely your mother," he said, then froze on the stairs. "What do you mean, 'not _her_ Doctor'?" he said rather loudly.

* * *

Jacket off now, Rose was struggling with the Doctor's left shoe so it could join its mate on the floor. It was being difficult since she had to stop and wipe her eyes so often. Even still, this reminded her quite plainly of doing this for him that past Christmas so long ago. Finally untangling the shoelaces, Rose yanked off the shoe and chucked it to the far side of the room with a sob.

"Don' cry," the Doctor murmured.

Looking up at him, she moved quickly to the head of the bed. "Doctor?" His eyes were still closed, but she could see them darting about from under the lids.

"Hate it when you cry," he slurred quietly, before his head went slack and settled deeper into the pillow.

Realizing he was talking in his sleep or whatever, Rose sighed and bit back the tears, then moved to divest him of his trousers. This part was a bit easier, even though it was difficult getting them down. _Boxers again_, she noted, but the sight of rubber ducks on them managed to get a small giggle out of her. Snatching the pyjama bottoms from the chair, she wrestled them on him and left them untied.

She still felt that buzz on her fingers whenever she touched him, but Rose frowned at the dampness of his maroon tee shirt. "Right. That's coming off," she mumbled.

After fighting the tee for a while, she grumbled and found a pair of scissors in the bed side table. Cutting it off of him, she used it to blot up the sweat. Pausing suddenly, she lifted it to her nose. Her eyes closed briefly when she smelled it. "Just the same," she whispered in loving but anguished disbelief, looking down at his face. It was disturbing to see him so still, but the sight of his chest rising and falling got her moving again. Suddenly frustrated with her own jacket, she unzipped it and chucked it rather angrily before attempting to get him into the pyjama top.

Putting the top on him was easier, and he seemed to do whatever she needed him to when physically prompted. After getting him to sit up in a sort of half hug, small presses on his wrists got his arms moving into the sleeping shirt. Buttoning it up after laying him back down, she had a pensive grin on her face from remembering how he did that the last time too. _No, _she reminded herself, giving herself a mental snap. _He didn't. Not _him_. _Her brain was repeating _Him, but not him_, over and over.

Not knowing what else to do, she pulled the duvet and sheets over him, then lay next to him over the covers. Before she knew she was doing it, her head was up on his shoulder. When she realized that she was snuggling up to him again, as she had every night she had woken from a nightmare so many years before – _no, no, not him, not with him –_ the tears started flowing again. She didn't notice the door opening slightly.

* * *

Waiting till the sounds died away, Jackie opened the door a crack to check on them. Her hand went to her mouth when she saw Rose lying next to the Doctor, quietly crying. She fetched the oriental tea tray and motioned Pete to the door with her head. Following him in, she noticed the scattering of clothes and frowned. "Right, I know how this goes," she announced, causing Rose to sit up sharply. Setting the tray on the dresser, she poured a cup full of the black tea and headed to the bed. "Sit him up."

Getting some help from Pete, Rose got him up again and rested his head on her shoulder. Jackie handed her the cup, and she held it under his nose. "Big inhale now, yeah?" Rose whispered. When nothing happened, she tried again. "C'mon, swee'hear', fill them lungs with tannins and free radicals or whatever the bloody 'ell you call 'em."

When nothing seemed to happen, Pete looked him over. "Doesn't look to be workin'. He was s'posed to wake up, right?"

Jackie deflated. "Yeah. Like smelling salts. Maybe it's just the wrong kind of tea," she said with a frown.

Rose's head was down, but it popped up when she heard that and she handed the cup back to her mum. "Put him down." After they had him prone again, she was off the bed like a shot. Picking up his jacket, she started rummaging in his pockets.

"What're you after?" Jackie asked, a bit confused.

Focusing on what she was doing, Rose didn't look up when she replied. "He looked right at me and said he had tea in his jacket. Could be a packet, could be a whole box."

"How can he fit a whole box…" Pete started to say, then baulked a bit when he saw Rose's entire arm dug into one of the outer pockets.

"Bigger on the inside," she said offhandedly (no, literally – she waved her hand dismissively in Pete's direction). Feeling about, she found a packet of gum, some rubber mouse like thing, a yo-yo, a bigger yo-yo, and a packet of sweets. Pulling out of the left pocket, she went in the right and found more of the same kind of knick-knacks, plus a lumpy envelope. Pulling that out, she looked it over and saw that it was addressed: 'To Rose and Me', in the Doctor's handwriting. Setting that on the bed side table with a frown, she went in the left inside pocket and immediately found a sonic screwdriver, a wallet, a thin wallet, _Hello psychic paper_, and some sort of gauzy bag.

Pulling the bag out, she instantly smelled Darjeeling and smiled. "Aha! Got it!" Turning around with a smile, she looked Jackie in the eye. "Get another pot goin'," she said, dangling the bag of leaves.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Jackie came back with a pot of water. Pete followed not too long after. Rose, who hadn't left the room, put a small handful of leaves in the pot when Jackie took the top off.

"Odd drink," Pete remarked. "What's to stop you from drinking in some of that stuff?"

"You sip it dear," Jackie explained. "Not many folk use just the leaves any more. They did them up like those one-sy coffee packets that you're used to. Guess he's a bit old fashioned."

Clearing the bed side table, Jackie set the pot on it and started waving the steam towards the Doctor after letting it steep a bit. "C'mon, luv. Wake up." After a minute of that, his nose twitched. "There we go."

Jackie barely had a cup filled, when the Doctor turned and reached for it left handed. Rose actually smiled on seeing him move, then raised her brow when he guzzled the cup. "More, please. 'S weak."

Helping him sit up, Rose held his hand while Jackie apologized. "Sorry, was just trying to get you up. Didn't let it sit too long."

"'S okay," he said, half leaning on Rose. It took two more cups before he looked coherent. Blinking rapidly, he looked around the room. "Oh, I'm sorry. I did it again, didn't I?"

"'S all right," Rose said. "You were spouting that regeneration energy, so we knew what to do."

"I was?" he asked. When Rose nodded, he tilted his head. "Right. Must be why it feels like I did. Although, seeing as how…" he was interrupted by a rather large yawn. "Yeah, okay."

"Feeling better John?" Jackie asked, earning two confused looks. The third was a bit delayed.

It took him a couple of seconds to react to that, even though he nodded. "Sorry. What did you call me?"

"Well, you were goin' on about that with some Brigadier fella that only you could see, for a while there. Somethin' about needing a name for paperwork?"

"Oh, right." He tilted his head. "Blimey, that was a long time ago. I'm going to need an actual name, though, wont I? Yeah, that works I guess. For now anyway." Noticing that Rose was uncomfortable, he pulled back a bit. "Sorry. Sorry you had to go through that again."

"It's all right," she said quietly. She smirked when he yawned again though. "Tired?"

"A bit, yeah," he conceded. Looking around, he frowned. "What time is it? And boy, is it _weird_ asking that question?"

"Half past six," Pete said, checking his watch. "And why's that a strange question?"

Noticing the look on Rose's face, Jackie stood up. "C'mon, Pete. Let's go down and get dinner started, yeah?" They left the Doctor and Rose staring at each other, the awkwardness sitting heavily in the room not lost on either of them.


	4. 36 Hours of Hell, Part IV

**THE YEAR THAT WAS**_  
__Chapter Four  
36 Hours of Hell, Part Four_

* * *

**_A/N:_**___ What do you do when you can't help? _

* * *

_Restless Goddess: Allons-y?_

* * *

The click of the door closing was the only sound in the room for a few moments as Rose and the Doctor met each other's gaze. Tumultuous emotions were boiling all over the place in Rose's mind, he knew, but he simply sat there and waited for her to say something.

Staring into fathomless eyes, Rose could still see the dance of the cosmos within them. While it was comforting, it didn't seem real somehow. He was here, but he wasn't. Nothing about this was even remotely fair, but there he was; this… _not_ Doctor. Even after having experienced that overwhelming amount of vivid love that he sent her on the beach, Rose still felt bereft.

Minutes passed, neither one of them breaking the look, before she reached up and gently pressed her palm against the side of his face. She watched his eyes close as she rubbed her thumb over his cheek, and felt him lean into it. Pulling him into a hug, she whispered the only thing she could think of to say. "I… I know how you feel. It felt _wonderful_. I just… I _need_ time," she said. Honestly, it sounded rather lame to her.

"I know," he answered. "Just do me a favour?"

Pulling back from the hug, she nodded while wiping her face. "If I can?"

There was a twinkle in his eyes. "Make sure we're not grey?" he asked with a smirk.

The stifled snort was immediate, and her face was cracking a grin when she smacked his arm. "No promises, but I'll try, yeah?"

He was going to say something, but it was interrupted by a rather huge yawn. "Blimey. I should _not_ be this tired," he griped.

"Took on an entire fleet of Daleks, you did," Rose said, hint of a frown playing with her grin. "Put planets back where they belonged; moved the Earth back to where it's supposed to be _after_ getting knocked about by whatever that Davros shot you with; and _then_ regeneration sickness on top of all that? Yeah, I think you've got every right to be knackered."

A warbling sigh passing through his lips, the Doctor conceded with a frown. "Yeah, okay. Point taken."

Leaning over to kiss his forehead, Rose stood up. "Get some sleep." Pausing at the door, she turned around after opening it. "Oh, and Doctor?"

"Yes, Rose?" he asked curiously.

"Happy Birthday," she said with a smile, leaving the room.

He blinked at the closed door, somewhat shocked, but slowly began to grin. "Never had one of those." Chuckling over it, he turned over and bunched his pillow before settling in for a decent snooze.

* * *

Jackie came out of the kitchen cupboard just in time to hear Rose coming down the stair. Looking out the door into the living room, she saw the front door close. Glancing over at Pete, she apologized with her eyes. "Be right back. Set the water to boil for me?"

Nodding, Pete wished her luck. After the door closed for the second time, the baby monitor on his belt sounded out Tony's distress. "Bugger." Turning off the stove, he left to go check on his son.

Outside, Jackie found her daughter right where she expected her to be. A bit away from the house, there was an arched hedged terrace with a swing seat under it. Ever since they came here, this one place was where Rose would sit and think away the night. With everything that happened, it was no surprise to find her here again.

Taking up their routine, begun so long ago when Rose had first lost the Doctor, _her _Doctor, Jackie sat next to her and simply held her hand. Her eyes flicked over to Rose when she noticed her shaking. A quiet and pitiful sounding 'mum?' was all it took, before Jackie turned and wrapped her arms around her. What surprised her, was when Rose turned fully and put her legs over her own. Before she knew it, Jackie had a lap full of her daughter.

"I hate her," Rose said through her tears.

Not bothering to ask, Jackie knew who she meant and simply held on tight.

"She was all 'look what he's giving you'. What she _should'a_ said, was 'look a' what I'm _stealing_ from you'." Her arms held on extremely tight at that point. "I hate her. I _hate_ her! He was my Doctor. _MY_ Doctor! _MINE!_" Unable to speak any more, Rose started sobbing loudly.

"Oh, my girl. My sweet girl," Jackie soothed and rocked her.

* * *

The Doctor was out of the bed and halfway down the hall before he knew what he was doing. All he could hear was Rose, and she needed him. However, a ginger-haired wall brought him up short. "Move."

His son in one arm, Pete had a hand in the middle of the Doctor's chest. "John, listen to me. You don't want to go down there right now."

Incensed, the Doctor glared at the man. "She needs me!" he hissed.

"No, she doesn't – not right now," Pete said quickly. "One thing you need to know about Prentice women: Don't run in trying to fix things, when they're upset either _with_ you or _about_ you. If you do, there'll be a lot of shoutin' and slappin' going on. Let her come to you when she's ready. Jacks is with her, and that's all she needs right now."

Pivoting foot to foot, the Doctor looked to be coming out of his skin. "How am I supposed to sit still? I can't stand it when she's crying."

"I know, mate, I know," Pete said, nodding. "The only reason Jacks and I got on so well was because our counterparts were gone. You don't have that luxury, and I'm sorry about that. From what Jacks told me, The Doctor just literally _dumped_ her with you. Do you honestly think that Rose wants to even _look_ at you right now?"

He deflated with a sigh. "No, but this is bloody _torture,_" he hissed.

"She loves you," Pete said. "Even if it's confusing right now, you should'a seen her when you passed out. Right mother bear, she was. Actually scared me with how she was acting about it."

Somehow, that was comforting, but John still had to calm himself by taking a huge breath and letting it out slowly; he was doing his best to fight the desire to run to Rose – to save her, to comfort her, to just _be there _for her.

"John, go to bed," Pete basically ordered. "You look like death warmed over. I'll let her know you tried to get to her, but later. All right?"

Glancing at Tony, John held in a rather hefty swear. "Yeah, okay. Thanks. Running to her when she cries is damned near instinctual. I _hate_ it that I can't help her."

"John… Go. To. Bed."

Hands balled into shaking fists, John blew another gust of air out of his nose. Nodding, he turned around and went back into the spare room. Once the door was shut, Pete heard a rather muffled '_Boll_ocks!'

Grinning at his small victory, Pete turned and started down the stairs. "C'mon, little man. Let's make dinner, shall we?"


	5. 36 Hours of Hell, Part V

**THE YEAR THAT WAS**_  
__Chapter Five  
36 Hours of Hell, Part Five_

* * *

**_A/N:_**___ Had a week of being completely out of sorts. Not sorted yet, but there you go._

* * *

_Restless Goddess: Not much to say here 'cept that I missed my co-author here while he was out of sorts. It's good to be back in the written swing of things._

* * *

Pacing the room, the Doctor couldn't settle down. While he was beyond tired, the sound of Rose crying was making him mental. Mostly, he was wearing a path into the carpet while mumbling obscenities in multiple languages. He abstained from using English just in case Tony was around though. Not having his sense of time made it even worse. Luckily, there was a digital clock on one of the bedside tables, and he checked it on each pass that he was facing it.

Outside, Rose was having a near nervous breakdown. Everything she fought for was gone, and all the tears that she hid away for so long came out at once. Several times she put her mouth into Jackie's shoulder to muffle her screaming.

For her part, Jackie just held on through it all while humming a tune and gently rocking her. Sure, it was a bit painful to her ears... especially the one that got it full blast, but she was her mother. Her heart hurt more for her than anything else. She didn't even care about whatever bruises she was getting from either being held so tight, or the slight beating her back was getting from Rose's closed fist.

When Rose was finally spent and softly hiccuping, Jackie kissed the side of her face and pulled back. Taking some tissues out of her coat pocket, she blotted Rose's eyes for a bit before she took it from her.

"Sorry," Rose said quietly, wiping her nose.

Shushing her, Jackie shook her head. "You got nothin' to be sorry for, swee'hear'. Surprised you lasted this long. Been expecting this for well over two years now."

"Couldn't afford it before," she whispered. "Had to keep moving. Everything was focused on getting to the Doctor. Crying wasn't a luxury."

"Liar," Jackie said gently. "I hear better than you think, dear."

Resting her head on Jackie's shoulder, Rose sighed. "Yeah, okay. Only behind closed doors, though."

"I know." Jackie started rocking her again. "Tell you what though. I know it's not the same as me, but at least you don't have to wait twenty years." Rose barely got a 'but' out before Jackie shushed her again. "I know, love. Not the same. Still though, he was gonna outlive you. Nine hundred years, yeah?"

That started Rose's tears again. "It's not _fair_," her voice cracked. "On his own..."

"He's not though, is he?" Jackie said quietly. "I can't imagine what it's like to live so long, but he always finds friends." She knew it was hard to hear that, but Jackie was nothing if not practical.

Sobbing again, Rose got out "I _loved_ him!" and abruptly came to a halt. Realizing she just said that in the past tense, she came completely undone. "Oh God, he's _gone_!"

"Shhh," Jackie shushed her. "He is and he isn't, and if you run away from that man up there and I'll slap you into next Thursday," she said quietly. "Don't think I don't know what it's like, loving someone who's not quite the man you first met, even though he's the same in every way. And that's just it – he loves you just as much as your old Doctor, maybe even more. An' this one can stay with you your whole life _and _his, and nothing in this world is gonna take him away from you. It's what you both wanted and could never have, and now you have it, so you'd better make the best of it."

"I..." Rose started, then choked a sob. "I'll try, but... time."

"I know, love," Jackie whispered. "Just don't wait too long, yeah?"

They came into the kitchen roughly an hour and a half later. Surprisingly, Pete had finished making dinner on his own. He was currently busy feeding Tony, by way of spinning the spoon down towards the reluctant toddler. Grinning at the sight, Jackie squeezed Rose's hand and went across the room, stopping once to kiss the top of Pete's head.

Sitting down, Rose crumpled into her chair. Leaning down, her head thunked against the table. "He didn't come. He always comes runnin' when I cry. That just proves it. He's not him."

"I stopped him," Pete said, looking over with a huge grin. "Saved his face, I did."

Head popping up, she stared at her stepfather. "What?"

"Should'a seen him. Was jumpin' out of his skin," Pete chuckled. "He didn't stop pacing the room up there till you quieted down. Not sure what he was saying, but sounded like swearing… _vividly_."

"You heard that from down here?" Jackie asked.

When Pete nodded at that, Rose just stared at the far wall. She didn't have the first clue on what to think, but that actually felt _good_, hearing that. "Wow," she said under her breath.

* * *

Darkness; a blackness so devoid of colour that shadows would seem bright. It was all he could see, except himself. Turning, he came to find two floor length mirrors. In one was the Doctor in his brown pinstriped suit; as the other had Donna Noble in her burgundy leather semi trench. Looking at one, the other would turn in the same direction. Looking back, the other would turn as well. Staring into either, and their reflections would stare back at him.

"This is all very Freudian," he said, noticing his rather strange dual Donna/Doctor voice. "I wanna shag her, and kill him?" he said, pointing to each in turn. And, seeing as how they were nothing but reflections, they mimicked everything he did. "Or is it shag him and kill her? Could never get that straight. More's the pity. Freud was a fraud at any rate. Everything was sex with him. Was probably abused by his mother," he said with a snort.

Crossing his bare arms, he just looked back and forth between them. "Should just kill you both for what you did to Rose though. Gits. I mean, seriously: Acting like I'm a bloody gift? The flippin' hell were you two thinking?"

Not wanting to look at them any more, he turned around to find a third mirror. Completely startled now, the look of the Doctor's previous incarnation in all his gloomy leather glory actually calmed him a bit. "As for you, you never did get enough done. Pushed everything away, even though you burned for her as much as stripey boy did. Yes, I still remember that staccato flutter your hearts did when you looked through that cat flap to find that blond looking back at you. Never did anything though, did you? Danced when you wanted to _dance_. Moron."

Grabbing the sides of the mirror, he moved it around so he could look at all three of them at once: Donna on the left, suit in the middle, leather on the right. Every move he made was mirrored by all three of them. "Quite a pickle we've got here, don't we? And by the look of things, you three are all I've got in here, eh? Shades of the others, but you three are in spades. A mouth, a gob, and a gloom," he said, pointing to each one. "Oy vey. Mind you, at least I don't have to put up with Six's Angry Technicolour Dreamcoat. Still, would've been nice to have celery boy. Can remember them all though. You lot: Tell me why I'm here." And with that, he crossed his arms and waited.

It took a bit of staring at them, but Nine moved first. "You _know_ why you're here. Take care of Rose, you ponce."

Ten moved next. "She's _every_thing."

"_Don't_ muck it up, time boy," Donna's reflection wagged a finger at him.

And with that bit of 'wisdom', the mirrors shattered to reveal a blinding golden light.

* * *

The Doctor, _or John as he was coming to be known as_, slept throughout the night and well into the next evening for a total of twenty five hours and some change. Rose and Jackie had each been checking him every hour or so, and Jackie was the one to notice him struggling to get out of bed. Coming into the room, she realized that he wasn't actually awake. His arms and legs were flailing about, and he was grunting. Whatever he was dreaming about had to be more than upsetting.

"John? John, wake up!" she tried rousing him with simple loud words to no effect.

Hearing the noise, Rose took to the stairs three steps at a time and was down the hall in a bit of a dash. Coming to a halt at the door, she could hear his strangled sounding moaning. Eyes widening at the sight, she ran around the bed. Grabbing his left arm to keep from getting struck, she placed her other hand on his chest. "Doctor, wake up. You're having a nightmare."

Closing her eyes when that failed to work, she remembered something that could possibly have an effect, as it had worked before. Leaning down to his ear, she whispered, "Help me."

The reaction was immediate. His eyes snapped open, and frantically darted about to land on Rose. He then surprised her with a quite desperate hug. "ROSE!" After he had a hold of her, he choked through some soft sobs.

Heart breaking at the sight, Jackie sat on the other side of the bed and rubbed his back. "What was it about, love?"

Breathing rapidly, John held Rose tight. "Gold light, everywhere. There was a mournful howling. Found a rather large wolf made of light. She saw me and ran away." His voice broke at the end of that, and he buried his eyes in Rose's neck. "I couldn't catch her," he whispered.

Rose forgot how to breathe again. Feeling wetness on her neck shocked her, but what he said completely stole whatever breath she had. Eyes wide, she realized what the dream meant, and it terrified her. Closing her eyes into a wince pushed out some tears of her own, and she lowered her head to the side of his neck, holding him tighter. "I'm not going anyw-where," she whispered with a shudder. "T-time. Just need…time."

Not sure what was going on, Jackie bit her lip at seeing this somewhat tender moment. Not knowing what else to do, she pulled back and folded her hands on her leg. Watching them cry into each other's shoulders, she had to wipe her own face.

"I know. I'm so sorry. I'm trying," John whispered. "I can't seem to control what I'm feeling like I could before."

Biting her lip, Rose pulled back just enough to give him a tight and brief kiss on the lips. Resting her forehead on his, she whispered. "Do it again. Please?"

"What?" John said quietly, confused. "Do what again?"

Swallowing, Rose opened her eyes. Glancing at her mother without moving her head, she flicked her eyes at the door. Jackie took the hint with a nod and quietly left the room. "What you did on the beach," she said under her breath. "Please show me again. I…I need it," she confessed.

Conflicted with how he did it the first time, he hid away his guilt over it behind a door. Since their foreheads were touching, he didn't need to put his hands to her temples. Instead, he moved his right hand to the back of her head to hold it in place. Opening his mind, he pushed his feelings for her gently into hers.

Rose inhaled a shuddering breath when she felt that pure love again. It wasn't as all encompassing or desperate as it was the first time. Instead, it was a warm and gentle caress like she never felt before. It was like the very centre of her being was being held.

Minutes passed, and Rose faintly heard his voice in her mind. _'I love you so much; you're all I think about. I can wait for you as long as you need. I will never hurt you, I promise.'_

"Thank you," she whispered. Opening her eyes, she found that they were lying side by side and facing each other on the bed. Feeling their legs scissored together was nice, but she suddenly became uncomfortable. "Oh! I…. Mm. I should…. You can take a shower. Mum made shepherd's pie, and you haven't eaten." She was stuttering and stumbling over her words, embarrassed.

Slowly pulling back and closing the connection, John opened his eyes and gave her a somewhat sad smile. Nodding at what she said, he felt what their legs were doing and unlocked them. Bringing his hand around, he brushed her hair out of her face, then gave her a light kiss. "I like your mum's cooking, and I _am_ a bit ravenous. How long was I asleep?"

"A bit over a day," she said quietly. "We've been checking on you to make sure you're all right." Pausing, she bit her lip. "Tell me something?" He nodded. "What was all that yesterday, with all the babbling?"

A small grin on his face, John said, "My mind was busy integrating memories. Rather painful, that. There were a bunch that were overlapping and conflicting with each other."

"And the different voices?" Rose blinked. "Those were all past bodies, yeah?" He nodded again. "And… Donna's?"

Closing his eyes, John sighed. "Yeah. She's in here too. That was the conflict that had me in a tizzy. I'm sorry. She should never have said what she did, no matter her intentions. I'm not a bloody gift, and they both were absolutely wrong in what they did. I just wanna smack them both for hurting you like that. It was cruel. If our positions were reversed, I have no doubt that he would've done the same thing I did to the Daleks. I just got there first."

Rose got him to open his eyes by rubbing his cheek with her thumb. "You're right, and it's not like I'm innocent of that genocide – a fact he seems to like ignoring. I can't help but hate her right now, though. Just do me a favour and never talk with her voice again, yeah? That was beyond creepy, and made me want to slap you."

"Sorry," John said. Kissing her forehead, he helped her sit up with him and moved to the edge of the bed next to her. Hugging her from the side, he said, "Whatever happens, I'll always be here for you. If you want to talk, gripe, argue, need a hand to hold, or a simple hug, I'll always give it gladly."

Resting her head on his shoulder, she grinned. "Thank you. Now get outta this bed and into the shower. You're starting to reek a bit," she smirked. They both laughed quietly at that. "Pete set aside some of his clothes for you. Should do you before we get you some of your own."

"Shopping?" he said brightly with his brows up. "Ooh, wait. I'm going to need some money," he frowned.

"Don't worry about that," Rose said as she stood up. "If he wont take care of that, I will." One thing was for sure, the old Doctor really didn't like shopping for necessities. This one though, seemed to be looking forward to it. His personality changed a bit when he left his leather coat behind for the suit, and it looked like some new traits were slipping into this one. However, with her own weakness for shopping, this one she could _really_ live with.

Grinning, Rose ruffled his hair. "You're going to die laughing when you find out where we're gonna shop."

"Oh? Where's that, then?" he asked.

"Well, on this side of the void there's a huge chain of stores," she paused, smirking. "It's _the_ place to get the best clothes. Goes by the name of Henrik's."

His eyes bugged out with a snort, and he burst out with a loud cackling laugh. Rose couldn't help it, and joined him.

On the other side of the door in the hall, Jackie was grinning her face off. Turning, she left to go warm up dinner. What with consoling Rose for most of the day, seeing and hearing this gave her a tremendous amount of hope.


	6. Zeppelin Skies, Part I

THE YEAR THAT WAS_  
__Chapter Six  
- Zeppelin Skies, Part One -_

* * *

**_A/N:_**___ I'm shocked that there were no edits required for this._

* * *

_Restless Goddess: Beats "Closing Time" by a MILE..._

* * *

Waking up this morning was difficult. Lethargic in the extreme, Rose rolled out of bed with a blank look on her face. Still despondent over how things turned out, she wasn't sure how to go about it all – now that her goal in life was ripped away from her. Still though, thinking over last night's dinner put a slight grin on her face.

The new Doctor, _or John as her mother and stepfather had started calling him_, completely melted when he saw Tony. And surprisingly, her brother actually allowed him to hold him. He never took to anyone that fast before, and it was startling to see the Doctor doting on the boy. He even got him to eat while sitting in his lap, which was _really_ something. Normally, the toddler would put up a fuss and make a mess of damn near everything. Not last night though. He even ate that horrid smelling purée of asparagus and carrots, both without the fuss and mess... _much_.

The most ridiculous part was when he laughed over the bit of goop that ended up in his hair.

All the same, Rose spent a good hour making herself presentable. Most of the time was spent going in slow motion though. While the Doctor – _John_ – would be interesting to shop for, her heart just wasn't in it. She froze at the bottom of the stairs when she saw him in one of the sitting chairs in the living room, though; head lolled to the side and lightly snoring.

Stifling a snickering snort at what must have been her mother placing a blanket over him, she walked over intending to wake him. She came up short however, when she realized that she'd never just _looked_ at him – especially with him asleep like that. Even though she knew he was different, seeing him sleep like this was somehow cathartic. _The calm before the storm_, she thought ruefully, then blanched over the irony.

He had to have felt her watching him though, because his eyes popped open. She frowned when he started searching himself with an abrupt and somewhat panicked sounding 'Tony?' coming out of his mouth. Hearing that made her grin though, and she came into the room smirking. "What, did you fall asleep with him? Mum must've _loved_ that."

Blinking rapidly, the Doctor turned to look at her. "Oh, hello! I, uhm, yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck and stood up with a bit of a grunt. "Something like that. The lad wanted a story, but to be honest I think he just liked being paid attention to and hearing my voice."

Looking at him incredulously, Rose had her eyebrows nearly to the top of her forehead. "I have _never_ seen him take to someone like that before. Usually, he's fit to be tied if someone he doesn't know even _looks_ at him."

"I'm good with kids," he said with a bit of a prideful pout. "Just have to pay attention to what they're doing and what their limits are. They get to blinking and pouting, it's time to do something else for a while. When the amount of time the eyes are closed during said blinking increases to a few seconds, then it's time to get quiet or they'll start fussing up a storm."

Mouth open now, Rose just gaped at him for a bit before the left corner of her mouth lifted up slightly. "_Fraud!_" she blurted. "Mister anti-domestic?" she said a bit loudly. "What was that you said about how rubbish it all was?"

His lips pursed at being caught out. "Couldn't afford it before," he said quietly, not looking at her and doing his damnedest not to smirk.

Blinking at that, Rose turned towards the kitchen. "Right. Coffee." _No, that wasn't awkward at all there, Miss Tyler,_ she thought to herself.

Watching the kitchen door close behind her, John rubbed the back of his neck a bit more forcibly. "Can now though," he whispered. Turning round, he headed upstairs to freshen up.

Breakfast was more with the oddness that happened the previous evening. Being a Sunday, the mansion's staff had returned and done up a rather large morning meal for everyone. John had actually pouted with a small whine when Jackie took over feeding Tony, but she looked pleased over it. Rose wasn't sure if it was her succeeding in nabbing her son, or how he'd been family wired...

Nearly dropping her fork over that epiphany, she openly stared at the Doctor, John, Doctor John? Okay, her mind was going to have a cow over names, apparently. Regardless, it finally clicked in her head as to the possibilities of his actions. He either lied about not doing domestic, or something happened with Donna's memories. Possibly both. It was definitely worth investigating.

* * *

"You're fidgeting," Rose said, glancing over from behind the wheel of the car. Honestly, that was a bit of an understatement. The Doctor was drumming his fingers on his knee, and looked to be trying to stifle a fit of nerves or something. "Penny?"

He gave her a sheepish look. "Yeah, sorry. Was always uncomfortable in this universe before. Gingerbread house, remember? All fluff and bits of string in pockets. Interesting to look at, but not something you'd want to spend all your time with. But now..." he trailed off.

Glancing at him quickly, she came to a stop at one of the lights. "What?"

Looking out the window, he stared up to watch one of the Zeppelins floating about. "Bit... I dunno... more _real_ somehow." Glancing at a bank clock, he frowned and turned to look at Rose. "Does time _really_ move this slowly?"

Smirking at him, Rose stifled a snicker. "Time's faster over here, remember?"

"Somehow, that's not making me feel better," he muttered, turning her smirk into an outright smile.

* * *

After parking the car in the underground garage, the Doctor was busy being annoyed by the lift music. "Is that... Eric Clapton?" he asked, completely appalled.

Snorting over his reaction to that, Rose didn't have a chance to reply before her mobile started chirping. Glancing at it, she held it to her ear. "Yeah, dad? Oh... okay." She handed it to the Doctor. "Wants to talk to you."

"Yeah, Pete?" he asked, leaning on the lift rail. "Oh! Uhm. Right. No, no, that's fine. Just do me a favour and use Johnathon instead." Noting Rose's quizzical look, he held his other hand over the mic and mouthed, "Identification." Letting go, his face twisted in confusion. "How's that?" He blinked. "Oh! Never thought about that. Uh... Why don't we go with Donald on that? Yeah? Okay." His face pursed into annoyance and rolled his eyes. "_Yes_, Jackie, I'll stay out of trouble. We're shopping. Only trouble I'm in for, is dealing with a tape measure."

Tossing the phone back at Rose, he looked put out. "Honestly," he muttered, "you think I go _looking_ for trouble."

Doing her best to hold in her giggles, Rose put her mobile away. "She remembers what happened to my old job."

His head snapped to her with big eyes. "I am _not_ going to blow up Henrik's!" he half shouted.

The lift stopped with a bell ding and opened. Rose took him by the arm, still snickering. "Best not."

* * *

The only bit of real oddness that happened, was when they passed a ringing phone. That wasn't the odd part, but the man answering it sounded like he was affecting a false baritone when he answered, 'Menswear.' Pausing, the Doctor and Rose glanced at each other, then looked over their shoulders at the skinny elderly fellow. They then shook their heads and both said, 'Nah.'

Seeing him be fitted for new suits, Rose had a thought from something he said when they were coming from Norway. Standing, she caught herself before speaking up. "John? I need to go pick something up. You okay here?"

Looking over his shoulder, his arms out and being measured, the Doctor nodded. "Yep. Shouldn't be too long."

Giving him a half grin, she turned and headed for another department on the same floor. Stopping suddenly, she turned around at the feeling of being watched. Not seeing anyone right off, she noticed that the Doctor wasn't in her immediate field of vision. Not liking it, she turned and continued her quest.

Coming to a stop at a display case, she looked things over for a bit before her eyes landed on something she liked. Grinning, she called to the attendant and had her box up her purchase.

She was almost back to menswear when she heard him protesting over something. What she heard him say though, got her feet moving quicker. It also got familiar pangs of jealousy started.

"Look, I'm flattered," the Doctor said to the raven haired seamstress, "Really, I am. But get this through your thick head. I. Am. Taken. Do you understand?"

The 'lady' in question was about to turn up her wiles when she saw Rose scowling at her. Faltering, she stuttered. "Yes, sir. Sorry sir."

Satisfied that he could take care of himself, Rose spotted a floor manager and headed over with a clacking of her heels on the floor. "Excuse me," she said, getting his attention.

Hearing the rather loud conversation starter, the Doctor turned to see Rose having a bit of a to do with a manager. Cringing at her more than obvious angry, if quiet, inflections, he pitied the woman that was sizing him up for clothes. _And a bit more, apparently, _he thought to himself.

* * *

A bit later, Rose had him by the arm while they walked. Not to say that it was unwarranted from what happened earlier, but the Doctor was still pleased over it. However, his attention got derailed when he spied something. "Oooh."

"What?" Rose asked, when he dropped her arm to take her hand.

He came to a stop in front of a display. "Oh, that's gorgeous," he mumbled.

Turning from his grin, Rose studied the brown leather jacket that seemed to be calling the man. She raised her eyebrows on seeing him rub the leather sleeve. "What, going backwards with the wardrobe a bit?"

Her eyes went round when he turned a more than puppy dog expression at her. "Don't do that," she said quietly. That only seemed to make him turn that expression up several notches, and she kicked herself over having that particular trick being turned on her. Closing her eyes with a wince, she began to babble. "Yes, okay, _fiiiiine_, we can get it. Just don't do that," she said far too rapidly.

Grinning in triumph, the Doctor went about finding the right size. He chuckled when she smacked his arm over it though. "Fair play and all that, turnabout."

"Shut it," Rose snickered. Seeing something else further down made her bite her lip though. Thinking about seeing him in a pair of denim trousers set her to blinking. _Not going there,_ she thought to herself.

She cringed again when he came to the same thought a bit later. "Gonna have to have something to wear with it. Not like it'll look all that good with a suit after all."

* * *

Purchases in hand, the Doctor said "Hi Jake," when they passed a support pillar.

Eyes wide, Rose turned around and saw a rather sheepish look on Jake's face. "What the _hell_ are you doing here?"

"Doctor, Rose," Jake said a bit meekly.

The Doctor snickered. "Keeping an eye on us, are we?"

Rose shoved a finger in Jake's face and growled. "Deal with you later."

"Wasn't my idea!" Jake protested, watching Rose drag the Doctor out of the store.


End file.
